Large scale, multi-story buildings are typically constructed of steel and concrete. Floors in such buildings may be composite floor constructs assembled by spanning, spaced-apart wide flange beams and/or steel joists between structural supports and installing metal decking, typically corrugated metal decking, over such beams and/or joists. The decking forms a lateral surface onto which a cementitious slab can be placed and cured. Generally, the underside of the beams or lower chords of the joists form the framework from which ceilings may be supported. Flooring system designs must also be mindful of fire safety, acoustics, and vibration considerations.
Such composite floor systems have been designed in the past to address one or more of these issues individually. These prior designs have included some systems that integrated the joist and deck assembly with the cementitious slab to provide a composite floor system. In the past, composite floor construction was typically achieved by using welded shear studs or partial extension of the joist upper chord above the form or metal deck into the cementitious slab. In one prior design, this integral structure was assembled by providing self-drilling studs with a threaded portion to be in threaded engagement with the deck and underlying joists. A length of each stud extended above the metal decking and was encased in the concrete slab, and resisted and transmitted horizontal shear forces which develop between the cementitious slab and the supporting joist structure. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,423. These composite floor systems were an improvement, but still had draw backs in that the floor system were time consuming and difficult to install. There was still a need for a composite floor system that was rapidly and safely installed with fewer building errors to provide a floor system with improved erectability and economy for the same or greater load bearing capacity.
In addition, these composite floor systems typically involved providing a steel beam laterally at the joinder of the composite floor system to a support wall or other support structure. One approach in the past has involved forming a channel at the upper portion of the wall structure adjacent the composite floor system and filling the channel with cementitious material integral with the slab of the cementitious slab of the composite floor system. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,941,035. This system reduced the need for a lateral steel beam in the wall structure, but did require a force-distribution plate to be positioned under the channel over the upper portion of the wall structure to distribute load along the upper portion of the wall structure. Also, powder driven fasteners, SPIKE® Powers fasteners or masonry fasteners were usually driven into the concrete channel from below as well as from above to tie the cementitious channel into the wall structure above and below for lateral loading. The wall studs in the wall structure above were positioned and spaced generally the same as the wall studs in the wall structure below, with SIMPSON® ties or similar devices connecting the upper wall structure with the lower wall structure for vertical loading.
Needed has been a wall structure that eliminates the need for steel beams in the wall structure, reduces if not eliminates, the need for powder driven fasteners, SPIKE® Powers fasteners or masonry fasteners installed particularly from below, and allows the positioning and spacing studs in wall structure above to be selected free of the positioning and spacing of wall studs in the wall structure below.